Superintendent: School Funding 'Difficult Issue for State'

In this week's video, Superintendent Chris Richardson talks about the funding challenges has been facing and continues to face.

Richardson said the district is preparing to share concerns about school funding and the "situation that we face in Minnesota" with legislative candidates and Gov. Mark Dayton's office.

"That situation is one where we are concerned with both the adequacy of funding that is provided for education and equity in terms of how that funding is paid for by local taxpayers," he said.

In November 2011, to rescind the then-$1,270 per-pupil operating levy and approved a new 10-year levy, raising the per-pupil levy to $1,604. An operating levy is used to pay for day-to-day expenses of running a school district, like salaries and supplies.

Voters also approved a 10-year renewal of the district’s $750,000-per-year capital projects levy. That levy pays for such expenses as building upkeep and new textbooks. 

You can hear more of Richardson's thoughts by watching the video.

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